The Diabetic Dog Game Review

I was excited today to learn that there is an entire section of the Nobel Prize website dedicated to free educational games focused towards the Nobel Prize winning discoveries. While most of my colleagues take their mental breaks throughout the day by playing ping pong, chess or Android-based versions of Scrabble, I spent my day experimenting with various Nobel Prize games. While a few of the first ones I tried out suffered from some common education game mistakes (for one, the learning content was mostly separate from the actual gameplay while another was simply badly explained and difficult to play), I was relatively impressed with The Diabetic Dog game.

The game asks you to take care of a virtual dog with diabetes. Many of the elements are the same as with any other virtual pet game--the dog needs to be fed, walked and petted throughout the day (as measured in the game--this is not one of the more realistic pet simulators performed in real time). He begs for food, pouts when he doesn't receive enough attention, and is generally a pretty cute cartoon dog. Added to these standard elements, however, is one significant change: the blood sugar monitor in the lower left. In addition to feeding, petting and walking your dog at the appropriate times, you need to keep his blood sugar as close to normal as possible. The closer you keep your dog's blood sugar level to normal, the more you are paid at the end of the day, and you can use the money to buy your dog food and accessories.

The diabetes-related portion of the game seems relatively accurate, although admittedly I have no real-life experience with diabetes to do a detailed comparison. You can choose from multiple different foods to give your dog, each of which has a different effect on the dog's blood sugar. Insulin affects blood sugar (although there is little guidance about the amount of insulin to give beyond the response of the blood sugar bar) as does walking the dog (although in game, it is not very clear whether it is the exercise affecting your dog's blood sugar or simply the time passing while you walk him). At the beginning of the game you are provided with some text-based instructions for caring for your dog, both in general and specifically related to the dog's diabetes. You can access these instructions at any time. In addition, if you are struggling with the game, hints appear several times before you finally fail. When you do fail, your dog is taken to the hospital and you are no longer allowed to own him. A list of resources appears to help you learn about diabetes and your dog in specific.

At the end of each day, you are provided with a summary of your performance. Several factors are included, from your ability to keep your dog healthy to the amount of attention you gave him. Money is given based on your performance, which you can use the next day to buy food and accessories for the dog.

At any time, you can choose to save the game. Your dog's name is unique, so you can come back to play again at any time. The only exception to this is if you fail to keep your dog healthy--in this case, your dog ownership is revoked and you will need to start a new game.

For a very simple game, The Diabetic Dog game seems to be both educational and relatively fun for the right audience. It is a good way to learn the basics about managing diabetes, although it would be beneficial for teachers to provide some additional context and information. As a virtual pet game, the Diabetic Dog has some great potential for teaching elementary to middle school students, especially girls (audiences where virtual pets are commonly enjoyed). Older players may be bored quickly, and while some boys may enjoy the game, others may struggle with the caregiver role. It is a relatively straightforward game that can be played free through the Internet with relatively little additional instructional development or time. The game is easy to play regardless of your level of experience with games, so that the majority of the challenge for any student should be focused on balancing their dog's blood sugar levels.